05.07.14 - (PRESS RELEASE) Representatives of the Holy See were asked by a
United Nations Committee yesterday to answer for its interference with women’s
access to reproductive health care across the globe leading to cruel and
degrading treatment.

Over the last two days, the UN Committee against Torture
reviewed the Holy See on its record related to torture and human rights
violations—from clerical sexual abuse to violations of women’s reproductive
rights—as the Holy See committed to ensure that all people are free from
torture or other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment by
ratifying the UN Convention against Torture.

The Committee, which will issue findings for its review of the
Holy See later this month, has consistently questioned states about
reproductive rights as part of its mandate to monitor this commitment. The
Center for Reproductive Rights submitted a shadow letter to the Committee about
how the Holy See's efforts against abortion and contraception access has caused
women and girls severe pain and suffering in countries across the world.Said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for
Reproductive Rights:“Decisions about women's health should be made between
women and their doctors. The Holy See should have no place in what health
services, including reproductive health services, women and girls can receive.“Forcing a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to
term—especially when she is a rape survivor or her life and health is at
risk—is cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. Eliminating options by which
women can control their lives and keep their families healthy is an egregious
violation of their fundamental human rights. “The United Nations Committee against Torture must be resolute
and make clear that no one can stand between a woman and her health, dignity,
and human rights. The Vatican must be held accountable for these injustices.”

The Holy See's canon law bans abortion in all circumstances,
including when a woman's life or health are at risk or when she is the victim
of rape.

During the UN Committee review earlier this week, Holy See
representative Cardinal Silvano Tomasi claimed that "[b]y no means does
the Holy See enforce or impose this code on any individual," but the
evidence proves otherwise. Indeed, Vice-Chair of the UN Committee Felice Gaer
noted that Holy See officials had "called for the blanket criminalization
of abortion by other governments....I agree that that this policy should not be
imposed on others. How do you respond to the argument that that is exactly
what's going on?"

In 2009, Archbishop Jose Cardoso Sobrinho and Cardinal Giovanni
Batista Re publicly condemned the mother and doctors of a nine-year-old girl
who had become pregnant following years of sexual abuse, because they decided
to perform an abortion to save her life. UN Committee member George Tugushi
questioned the Holy See about this and similar cases, noting the humiliation of
women the Holy See inflicts and finding that "[w]hen [women and girls] are
subjected to additional pressure when they have undergone such a trauma, it
should be considered ill-treatment."

Cardinal Tomasi disavowed responsibility for this and another
similar case in Nicaragua but stated that "these are two exceptional
cases." However, as the Center for Reproductive Rights highlighted in its
submission to the UN Committee, there have been several other cases where
Vatican officials have interfered in women's reproductive health, including a
2013 case where Holy See officials persuaded the government of El Salvador to
deny access to abortion for a pregnant woman named Beatriz whose life was at
risk because of lupus and kidney failure. Holy See officials have also
interfered with policymaking in other states surrounding reproductive rights,
including the Philippines, Peru, Nicaragua, the United States, and many others.

About Me

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